The price of exported Argentine Apples is collapsing

The FOB average prices of apples reached, in the first quarter of 2020, a value of U$ 0.69/kg, a figure that reflects a descent of about 10% year-on-year and 35% when compared to the January-April period of the 2018 season.

In the January-April 2020 period, the volume of external apple sales showed a growth of 22% year-on-year, while foreign currency income did so at a rate of 10%.

Two out of every three kilos of apples that were exported from the Río Negro Valley and Neuquén this season were destined for the markets of Russia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. All of them could be considered high-risk markets in terms of payment and do not usually demand high levels of quality.

The apple that Argentina exports today is distant from the standards demanded by developed countries in Europe and Asia, which are the highest paying destinations for this product.

In the first four months of 2020, a total of 40K tons of apples were exported to 17 different destinations around the globe. In this same period of 2005, international sales exceeded 160K tons placed in 35 destinations.